


Separation

by MylittleFootballWorld



Series: The Vampire Series [16]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Emotional Manipulation, M/M, Minor Violence, Oneshot, trigger warning just in case
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-30
Updated: 2015-11-30
Packaged: 2018-05-04 05:39:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5322524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MylittleFootballWorld/pseuds/MylittleFootballWorld
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guti finds out that Raúl has kept a huge secret from him since forever. This discovery of course has consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Separation

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is it. The final part of “The Vampire Series”. The way I planned it there will be no more parts added to this story, at least for now. I don't feel like there's nothing to tell anymore but I do have other projects and I'm not sure if there is such a high interest in “The Vampire Series” that it would make sense to write more. So for now, this is it. I listened to Lana del Rey's “Young And Beautiful” and Lorde's “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” while writing this and I recommend you to listen to those songs while reading. This part is set after Among Vampires 2. With 11.481 words it's the longest part I've ever written, by far. I am going to put a trigger warning just in case, though I'm not sure if it's needed. There is some minor violence and emotional manipulation in this one but that should be about it already. A thousand times thank you to every single one of you who supported this story and its characters, to those who asked questions or gave me feedback and generally to those who spend a little while with this story. Thank you so, so much. This means so much more than I could possibly say and it honestly feels a little weird to say this is it now. I hope you will like this part as much as I love it because out of all the parts I wrote for “The Vampire Series” I feel like this one is my masterpiece. And now, for one last time, lean back, get some snacks and please enjoy this very last part❤

Raúl sat at his desk staring into space absentmindedly. He didn't know how to feel. Scraps of conversation flew through his head reminding him of a long forgotten past.  
 _"He's incredible. Just look at him. Look at your brother, Javi. He's my pride and joy." "It's Xavi", the boy mumbled lowering his head._  
He had never wanted this to happen. If he could have stopped it...  
 _"I just want o help you!" "Stop trying to mother me! I don't need your help!"_  
The voices echoed through his head. He had never asked for his father to love him best. The only thing he had wanted was to protect his brother but he had never let him. It shouldn't have ended this way. He barely noticed the office door opening and Guti entering.  
"Why do you look so sad? We won! Xavi's dead, the Culés gone, you should be celebrating", he dropped down into the chair in front of his boyfriend's desk. Raúl bit his quivering bottom lip willing himself to swallow a sob. Guti furrowed his brow: "Okay, seriously what's going on? If I didn't know better I'd think you're going to cry." The black haired remained silent. The blonde sat up straight: "Raúl, seriously, what's wrong? You're scaring me."  
"He was my brother", the almost inaudible whisper escaped Raúl's lips before he could stop himself. "What? Who? You never told me you had a brother", his boyfriend's tone was suspicious.  
 _"Heard you aren't alone anymore." "If you dare telling José about our past, I will personally make sure that you will rot in hell. And we both know you will." "You wouldn't dare to." "You underestimate me, brother."_  
"Xavi." Guti's face fell when their dead enemy's name left Raúl's lips: "Querido, you shouldn't be joking about this." "I wish I was." The blonde slowly rose from his seat towering over his boyfriend, his voice was monotonous: "2000 years. And you never thought about telling me. What else didn't you tell me?" The black haired licked his lips but remained silent. For the first time in his long life he didn't dare looking at the man he loved more than his own life. "Don't test me, Raúl", Guti's hands gripped the edge of the desk, "for once, be honest with me."  
The black haired took a deep breath closing his eyes: "I wasn't turned by another vampire." Guti almost flipped over the desk but held himself back, he wanted the truth and as much as it stung he would stay and listen until he knew everything Raúl had ever kept from him. He didn't recognize the man in front of him anymore. His Raúl wouldn't lie to him. Never. This had to be a bad joke. There was a lot he wanted to say, wanted to demand but the blonde remained silent and waited.  
"Xavi and me are the two original vampires." Guti took a deep breathe willing himself not to yell. Instead his voice was ice cold: "Talk."  
  
 _My brother always hated me because our father loved me best. My mother died during Xavi's birth and on his death bed still our father blamed him for mother's death. I never chose to be his favourite but Xavi always blamed me for the way our father treated him. I tried to talk to him. Tried to convince him to give Xavi a chance, that he wasn't to blame for her death but while he would listen to me in any other case he never wanted to hear that Xavi wasn't at fault.  
I tried to help him, to protect him but he saw it as an act of pity and would do whatever he could to stay as far from me as possible. I loved my brother even though he never believed me.  
I know I should have seen it coming. Should have known better. But I was young and stupid and greedy for something beyond the life I lived. Something more than human. I wanted the world, I wanted more time to explore and see and go beyond the borders of my hometown and everything I knew. When Xavi approached me with his idea I thought he was joking. He told me, he found a way to gain immortality. I know I should have seen through him and I blamed myself for a long time for allowing this to happen. By now I see that my brother has always been terribly persuasive. He lured me into a trap. He knew how much I wanted to see the world, how I was dying to have more time on this earth. So he told me, he found a way to conjure a ghost that could grant us immortality.  
I was naive and too curious for my own good. So I went along with it. Xavi told me to leave everything to him and I did. Somehow I still believed he was just messing with me.  
When full moon came around he took me to a fork. Someone of our village had recently hanged himself there and Xavi said it would be the perfect place to conjure the ghost. In preparation he had drawn a what he called "protective circle" and a "polygram" on the ground. I still remember the flickering light of the candles he'd lit. He took one of the candles and lit the content of a brazier he had prepared. Then he told me to wait. It was a terribly cold night and we stood and waited for hours. But when I wanted to tell him we should head home I felt a sudden warmth behind me as if someone had lit a fire.  
Both of us turned around and saw a man standing in front of us. I don't know how to describe him other than that he was of an otherworldly beauty. I didn't immediately know he was the devil. All I knew was that I couldn't take my eyes off him, he truly is God's most beautiful child despite having fallen.  
"I know what you want", he said turning to Xavi and I have never seen my brother that happy, "I could grant your wish. But what do you offer in return?" His voice was so smooth, it was intoxicating. "Everything", I didn't recognize Xavi's voice anymore, he sounded almost possessed. The devil laughed, a sound like a roaring fire: "You must be insane to leave such a choice to the devil. But you made your decision. I accept your offer, I will grant your wish."  
I could just stand and stare. I couldn't move, couldn't speak or even think. The devil ignored me completely. He took my brother's decision as my approval of the deal. "Seal the deal then", the devil took a small bowl Xavi had put on the ground inside the polygram, cut the palm of his hand with his claws and poured his blood into the bowl before handing it Xavi, "drink and the deal will be sealed."  
I don't think Xavi thought in that moment. He just took the bowl and drank like it was wine. The devil laughed again: "Never trust the devil, boy. Your soul is mine now and when you die you will join me in hell." I remember wanting to scream when my brother dropped to the ground and didn't move anymore. Then the devil turned to me and grinned.  
"Now aren't you a pretty one?", he beckoned me closer and I couldn't help but leave the protective circle and step into the polygram, "I am a powerful being. I could grant your every wish but there is only one thing you truly desire, isn't there? Immortality." His eyes hypnotized me, I couldn't look anywhere else. "I will grant your wish. In return, you will cause chaos on earth in my place."  
And finally I managed to shake my head. He looked at me surprised and started circling me in the small space the polygram gave us. "Oh, I see. Never trust the devil, is it? Even though I only want to help? I know you want to say yes", he stopped in front of me and trailed his finger down the side of my face. His touch felt like it was burning my face but I couldn't pull away. "Think of what you could do. All the time you'd have. And in return all you need to do is cause a little chaos. Isn't that a fair price?"  
This time I nodded. He had me hooked and I couldn't escape his charm.  
He grinned: "Then seal the deal." I waited expecting him to take the bowl and let me drink his blood but he didn't move. Instead he placed his burning hand on my cheek: "Kiss me." I only stared at him. "Alright, I see. Still a little unsure. Allow me to make this deal even more pleasant for you then. I will grant you the possibility to find a family. Fate will help you to build a new family, Raúl. It will show you who is meant for you. Consider it a friendly favour because I like you._ _From the moment you make the deal on, fate will mark people for you and show which ones. You can turn them and they will become part of your family. If you don't turn them, fate will take them. And you will be given the ability to speak in tongues, like you brother was by drinking my blood. All those you'll turn will be given this ability. Sounds like a good deal, doesn't it?"_  
I finally found my voice again: "Turned into what?" The devil only grinned: "Do you accept or not?" I said yes. I don't know why but I accepted the deal and the devil kissed me. The heat was almost unbareable. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness is his laugh.  
When I woke up the devil was gone. And so was my brother."  
  
Guti stared at him disbelievingly trying to process everything he had just heard. "I know I should have told you but... I was so scared to lose you and then thousand years had passed and it was too late to tell you...", Raúl's voice broke. The blonde gritted his teeth, turned around and headed for the door. "José, please... I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't have lied... please", the black haired's voice broke again. Guti had never heard Raúl this broken and for a moment he hesitated. But then everything he had just heard replayed in his mind and his blood started to boil and he pushed the door open and left the office.  
  
"Iker, grab your things", Guti's voice send a shiver down Iker's spine and he knew better than to disobey now. Despite not knowing what was going and on and where they were heading he grabbed his and Sergio's things, he'd be damned if he left without his boyfriend, and met up with Guti down in the bar dragging Sergio after him. The blonde pushed them out of the door and instructed them to pack their things into Sergio's car and get inside.  
Guti was silent as he drove them to the airport and neither Iker nor Sergio dared to ask where they were going. They reached the airport without any complications and the two Spaniards followed their father inside the airport. The smell of the thousands of humans hit the blonde with full force and he felt his instincts growing stronger. Iker noticed his eyes turning black: "You didn't eat before we left."  
Guti growled lowly and the brunette grabbed his father and his boyfriend and dragged them into a janitor's closet. "Sergio, go and find a victim. Bring it here, I don't care if dead or alive." His boyfriend stared at him wide eyed: "Don't you want to go?" "No, Guti would overpower you", Iker hissed pressing his palms against the blonde's chest to keep him in check.  
"But..." "Sergio!" The youngest Spaniard hurried away. Iker planted his feet firmly on the ground and pushed against his father with all his might to keep him pressed against the wall with little to no space to move around. "What the hell happened, Guti? Why are we leaving and what about Raúl?" The loud growled that ripped out of the blonde's throat answered the brunette's question: "So it's a problem with Raúl. Okay, fine. If you think you need some space for a while I'm with you but you know you can't run forever. In the end you'll see anyway you freaked out for nothing." Iker felt Guti's weight pushing against him. He felt the raw force behind the blonde's movements and hissing and he knew Guti wouldn't be able to contain himself until Sergio returned.  
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Guti wasn't gentle when he was hungry but Iker couldn't allow him to murder the whole airport. Throwing his full weight against the blonde he pressed him against the wall: "Bite me." Guti breathed heavily and growled lowly: "Just let me take it out on them. They're only humans."  
"It'll draw to much attention, just bite me for god's-", Iker hissed sharply when the blonde's fangs pierced his neck. Guti's fingernails dug into his arms and the brunette moaned in pain but not willing to push the blonde away.  
The door opened and Sergio dragged in a dead body. Guti's grip tightened on Iker and the latter hissed. He pulled away and the blonde immediately was all over the dead body. The brunette pressed his hand against he wound on his neck and pulled Sergio closer with the other hand. "You let him bite you?", Sergio asked shocked. "Had no other choice. He would have slaughtered the whole airport if I didn't", Iker felt the wound closing and licked the blood off his hand. Sergio snuggled closer into his boyfriend's side, Guti's behaviour scared him.  
After Guti was finished with the body and Iker had called one of their friend at the police to take care about the body they headed for the check in. The brunette offered to get their tickets but his father would have none of it, he wasn't willing to tell his sons where they were going. Naturally Iker was surprised when he saw they were heading towards the gate of a flight that was going to stop in Dubai and then head for New Zealand. He turned around to the blonde: "New Zealand? How long exactly are you planning on staying?" His father didn't answer and instead handed their tickets to the stewardess and pushed his sons down the aisle. "Guti, you have to tell us eventually", but he still didn't get a reply.  
  
Raúl stared blankly at the smooth wooden surface of his desk. He hadn't yelled at him. But god, how he wished he had. It would have been so much easier to bare the full force of Guti's anger, to have him destroy the office and scream instead of the silent disappointment and the contempt in his eyes. He rubbed his hands over his face desperately wanting to cry, to let it all out but his eyes were dry and he felt like he was dying. The moment Guti had left the room he had taken all his energy with him.  
He had just lost his brother and now he'd also lost the one he had wanted to spend eternity with. Raúl understood his boyfriend needed time to process everything but he hoped the blonde would return soon. They needed to talk everything out. He was certain they could fix this, he knew he shouldn't have lied but when he felt ready to tell Guti the truth it was too late already. So he had simply hoped the blonde would never find out and now that his brother was dead and no one could have spilled his secret anymore he gave himself away.  
Raúl ran a hand through his dark hair as the door opened and James' head peeked inside: "Dad? Where did Guti, Iker and Sergio go?" The Spaniard raised his head, his eyes widening an expression of pure horror forming on his face: "What?"  
"Guti just left with Iker and Sergio and all their things packed. What's going on?", James furrowed his brow and looked at his father worriedly. "No, he can't-", Raúl's breathless voice broke. The black haired rose from his seat, frantically grabbing the edges of his desk and looking around the room: "He can't take them... he's out of his mind... he will hurt them..."  
"What's going on? Raúl, you're scaring me!", his son's panicked voice brought him back to his sense. He quickly crossed the room and pulled James into his arms: "I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I-I don't know... it'll be okay." He pressed a kiss on his son's forehead and then hurriedly left his office.  
No, no, no he couldn't be leaving. He couldn't take them and leave. He would never come back if he took Iker and Sergio. Raúl stormed outside the house quickly picking up the blonde's scent and started to run. He had to find them.  
But when Raúl reached the airport he lost the scent and as hard as he tried he couldn't find it again. The black haired looked around completely out of his mind, breathing heavily, his eyes turning pitch-black. He was ready to tear apart the entire airport when a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  
Xabi's grip on his arm was tight but his eyes filled with worry. He had never seen his father like that. Raúl was completely out of his mind. "Raúl, slow down", his voice was soft and his free hand grabbed the black haired's chin and forced him to look up into his eyes, "you are halfway out of your mind. You shouldn't be here. Come home." The insanity in his father's eyes scared Xabi to death but he willed himself to remain calm and collected. He released a breath he hadn't known he was holding when Alvaro stepped next to him slowly leading Raúl out of the airport. The Basque was thankful for the reassuring effect his brother and his knowledge of said brother's strength had on him.  
When Xabi caught up with his brother and his father Raúl's attitude had changed completely. He almost reminded the Basque of a broken puppet. His eyes were glazed, his face pale and if Alvaro hadn't held him upright he was convinced the black haired would have broken in two.  
Raúl didn't remember how he got home. He didn't remember how he got into bed. And he didn't care. He felt the smell of blood coming from a glass on his nightstand invading his senses but the black haired didn't feel any hunger. For a fact, he did not feel anything. Both, his body and his mind, were numb now that he had realized the love of his life would not return to him. And he had taken two of his sons. Raúl was, for the first time in his long life truly scared. For his sons' lives just as much as for his boyfriend's life.  
  
"What is this place?", Iker dropped his bags on the wooden floor and examined his surroundings. The smell of salty sea water stung a little in his nose but the murmur of the sea calmed his nerves a little. "We went here on holiday once when it was just the two of us. I didn't like it so we never went again but we kept the house." "But that must have been at least 1000 years ago, how does this house still exist?", Sergio wondered. "He has friends here that took care about it. I called them from the airport and told them their service wasn't needed any longer." Iker sighed a little at his father not even using Raúl's name: "Don't you think it would be better to stay somewhere else when you don't want to think about Raúl but-"  
"Don't mention his name", the blonde hissed and the younger Spaniard stared at him wide eyed. His father had never lashed out on him to the point that Iker felt threatened. For the first time in 518 years he was truly scared of Guti. He felt Sergio grab his hand.  
"So, when are we going home again?", the youngest Spaniard asked carefully. "This is home", Guti growled and disappeared into one of the two bedrooms. Iker gently twisted his hand out of Sergio's grip and went after the blonde: "What do you mean this is home? We have to go back to Madrid eventually."  
"We will never return to that place", his father hissed and shut the door in his face.  
Sergio looked at his boyfriend looked at him expectantly but Iker shook his head. He knew what the younger one was thinking but it would be downright stupid to attempt and leave now. Adding to that, the brunette was scared of what Guti might do if they left him alone so he grabbed his bags and motioned Sergio to follow him into the second bedroom.  
Iker decided to give his father some time to calm down before approaching his door again and knocking softly. Since no one answered he figured the blonde might not have heard him so he entered the room. The sight before him broke his heart.  
Guti lay curled up into a small ball on his bed, hands clutching at his chest, his whole body shaking with his sobs. Iker wondered briefly why he hadn't heard the sobs before but remembered the emotionally compromised state he was in and figured that was the reason.  
He slowly approached the bed and carefully sat down on the edge. A feeling of helplessness washed over him. The brunette had never seen his father so broken. He figured Guti and Raúl had some kind of problem that caused the blonde to hastily leave Madrid but would have never imagined it to be that bad. Iker had watched his family almost fall apart once before when it was only the three of them. But it was nothing compared to this. At that time Guti had stayed with him and Raúl and desperately tried to fix their family again. To watch him breaking down now told Iker a lot about the situation's seriousness.  
The brunette carefully extended his hand and let it rest on the blonde's shoulder. He felt him stiffen and his muscles tense and knew he was taking a huge risk. But before he knew what was happening Guti's resistance broke and he clung to Iker's body like he could put him back together. Tears streamed down his beautiful, angelic face and to Iker it just felt wrong. Wrong that Guti was crying, wrong that he was holding him instead of Raúl, wrong that they were here and not home.  
"I'll be right back, okay? I just need to talk to Sergio for a second", the younger vampire whispered and tried to free himself from Guti's arms but they only tighten around his body, "hey, I'm not leaving you alone okay? I just need to- Alright. Sergio, come over here please." His boyfriend slowly entered but stopped in the doorway awkwardly shuffling his feet when he saw the condition Guti was in.  
"I need you to go hunting for the three of us", Iker explained but kept his eyes on the blonde patting his back softly. Sergio's eyes widened: "But I'm not allowed to go hunting on my own already. What if something goes wrong?" "I know", the brunette sighed, "but we have to take the risk. I can't leave Guti alone and we really need to feed. Just go and do your best." The younger one nodded, still a little insecure, and left the house.  
  
After Sergio had returned, without making a huge mess much to his own surprise, and the three of them had eaten Iker left Guti alone in his room to sleep and sat down in the living room with his boyfriend.  
Sergio bit his lip not daring to ask any questions. Iker sighed: "Go ahead." "What is happening to him?" "He...", the brunette ran a hand over his face tiredly, "he is losing his mind. Guti and Raúl, they... they need each other to live. They keep each other sane but when they're separated they go crazy. I don't know what happened between them but it must have been something really bad. I've watched my family almost break apart once. But it's never been this bad."  
His boyfriend silently stared outside the window into the growing darkness for a while. "And when will we go back home?" "You heard him. We won't be going home for a long time, Nene. And right now, I have no idea how to fix whatever is broken", Iker stood up and extended his hand, "come on, Nene. Let's go to bed."  
Sergio hesitantly grabbed his hand and allowed the brunette to pull him up to his feet: "Can't we just leave?" "You saw him, didn't you? We can't leave him alone. Now let's go to bed and not worry about this for a while."  
  
Iker woke up to a weird noise. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the moon shining through the window. Sitting up he listened for the noise. It sounded like a wild animal was rummaging through the house. Sergio stirred next to him when he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Iker?", his voice was raspy from sleeping. His boyfriend petted his hair softly: "It's okay, Nene. Just stay here and keep sleeping. I'll be right back."  
The brunette carefully opened the door and stepped into the living room closing the door behind himself again. He saw scratch marks on the walls and most of the furniture overturned, feathers from pillows that had been turned inside out covered the room. Iker briefly closed his eyes, he already knew what had happened before he saw Guti hunched over another pillow in the middle of the room. Within a millisecond Iker was next to him taking the blonde's head in his hands and forcing him to look up into his eyes. Guti's expression was almost insane. His eyes were pitch-black and he was breathing heavily.  
"José, hey, it's me! Slow down", Iker noticed too late he had used his father's first name which was something only Raúl would do. An animalistic growl escaped the blonde before he slammed the brunette into the closest wall and almost ripped his throat out with his teeth. Iker whinced at the pain when his back crashed into the wall and pressed his hands against his father's chest trying to push him away.  
"Guti, stop! I'm not Raúl", his right hand gripped the blonde's chin, "I'm not Raúl." Guti's breathing started to slow and his eyes returned to their usual electric-blue colour. He blinked rapidly as if he was recognizing his son's face just now. He almost jumped away from the brunette, eyes wide in horror.  
Iker coughed and took a few deep breaths before raising his hands in a conciliatory gesture: "It's alright, Guti. I understand." Slowly he approached the blonde who flinched a little but did not try to run. The brunette reached out and quickly pulled the other vampire against him, he felt the other one clawing his hands into his dark hair and stroked his back soothingly.  
"Come on, let's go back to bed", Iker led Guti to his and Sergio's bedroom where his boyfriend had already sat up in bed. He stared at the brunette wide eyed having heard the noises in the living room but Iker soothed him quickly smoothing a hand through his tousled hair. "He needs to stay with us. His condition is too fragile to leave him alone at the moment", the brunette explained quickly and Sergio moved to the side a little giving Iker enough space to lay down in the middle and pull Guti into bed on the other side. The youngest vampire cuddled up to his boyfriend and Iker put one arm around his shoulders and the other around the blonde.  
  
Xabi was pacing around in circles when James entered the bar. The younger one placed a glass filled with blood on the counter and sighed: "He still refuses to drink." His brother didn't reply. "What are we supposed to do now, Xabi? He'll die soon if he doesn't-" "I know", the Basque hissed angryly. James bit his bottom lip willing himself not to feel personally attacked but he couldn't stop the tears from filling his eyes: "I'm sorry, I just want to help."  
The Colombian's subdued voice caused the older one to lift his head. He quickly crossed the room and hugged his little brother: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just... I'm not used to being in charge like this. Normally Iker is here and takes care about everything but now he's gone too and I've got no idea what to do."  
James snuggled closer to him and hugged him as tightly as he could: "We can do this together, as a family, you know? Just because you're the oldest of us now doesn't mean you have to do everything alone." Xabi laughed dryly and ruffled his hair causing the Colombian to squeak and fix his hair.  
Alvaro walked up the stairs that led from cellar up to the bar. "Still refusing to feed?", he asked when he saw the full glass standing on the counter. Xabi nodded tiredly and Alvaro patted his shoulder: "I'll take care of this, okay?" The Basque nodded thankful for his brother's support.  
"Pepe, mind giving me a hand here?", the Portuguese appeared next to the Spaniard nodding in agreement.  
The two of them went upstairs into their father's room where they found him standing at one of the windows. A week had passed since Guti had taken Iker and Sergio and left and Raúl hadn't drank anything ever since. He himself was, just as much as his sons, very much aware that he would soon die if he refused to feed any longer.  
He didn't move when Alvaro and Pepe entered. Alvaro approached him quickly: "Raúl, I know you don't want to feed but we can't let you die. So if you decide to refuse any longer we have to force you to drink." His father laughed dryly but did not utter a word. "It won't bring him back, you know?", Pepe said quietly and something in Raúl snapped. Before his sons knew what was happening he had broken down kneeling on the floor and sobs wrecking his exhausted body.  
Alvaro and Pepe looked at each other a little unsure of themselves. They weren't too good with feelings and had no idea how to handle the situation. Luckily Fabio entered in that moment followed by Marcelo and came to their help.  
"Alright, guys we'll take it from here", Fabio ushered his confused brothers out of the room. Marcelo had already crouched down beside Raúl and thrown an arm around him: "Fabio, can't we try to use one of the infusions that are actually used to keep pets alive? Maybe if we fill them with blood they'll-" "Replace the feeding process", the Portuguese ended his brother's, "you, dear brother, are a genius. Wait here, I'll be right back."  
Marcelo smiled a little proudly and then turned his attention back to his father: "We'll be okay, dad. I promise." Fabio returned and brought the instruments they needed for the infusion. Xabi followed him into the room: "Let's get him on the bed." The three of them carefully pulled the oldest vampire on his feet and helped him over to the bed. The Basque grabbed the infusion bag connecting it over a tube with the needle that he carefully inserted into the back of Raúl's hand. Fabio handed him the bottle of blood he'd grabbed from the cellar and Xabi filled the infusion bag with the blood watching as it rushed through the tube.  
"I need someone to stay with him at all times. Right now he's too weak to fight us of but when he's stronger he'll pull the needle out of his hand and we can't let that happen", Xabi explained watching Marcelo telling Raúl a story about a squirrel he had found recently to cheer him up. Fabio nodded in agreement: "I can take the first shift. But I'm not sure if we should allow Luka or James to do this. It'll only scare them."  
"We'll talk to them, we can't just decide this over their heads. They want to help Raúl just as much as we do", the Basque suggested receiving another nod from the Portuguese, "I'll take Marcelo downstairs and you'll stay with him."  
  
Luka decided he wanted to help Raúl and had agreed to take the first nightshift. James had agreed, too but under the condition that one of the others would stay with him the whole time. Gareth volunteered to stay with him. Luka was just as scared as James since he did not know what to expect or if Raúl would possibly attack him but he had found the, in his eyes, perfect solution to help his father and he didn't want any of his brothers to laugh about him so he decided to take the shift alone.  
Xabi was a little worried about him but knew there was no use in trying to change his mind. As much as he wanted to look after his little brother he knew he had to allow him to make his own decisions and experiences.  
The Croatian entered the room carefully expecting the worst but was surprised when the only thing he saw was Raúl laying on his bed staring at the ceiling. He clutched his book tightly and took a few steps into the room. When his father didn't move he felt safe enough to close the door and went over to the bed.  
He sat down on the edge so he could look at Raúl and opened his book. "When I just joined the family you used to read stories to me so I could fall asleep easier, do you remember? So now I will read stories to you", the Croatian whispered and squeezed his father's hand before he began to read.  
Xabi leaned outside in the corridor on the wall opposite of the door to Raúl's room and smiled fondly. He had decided to stay in front of the door to make sure Luka would be fine but now that he heard him read to Raúl he was sure the younger one was doing fine. He would talk to him later after his shift and make sure he'd get a hug if he needed one.  
  
"How are you feeling, Lukita?", the younger vampire flinched, he hadn't noticed Xabi. He pressed his book tightly against his chest: "I'm fine." The Basque lifted an eyebrow before opening his arms. His younger brother couldn't resist for more than a second and threw himself into the older one's arms. Xabi patted his back soothingly: "I'm proud of you. I know it's hard but you're doing a great job. I'm sure it helped Raúl a lot that you reminded him of better times. That was an amazing idea, Lukita."  
His brother pressed his face into his chest and hugged the Basque a little tighter. Xabi kissed his hair fondly and smiled at Cristiano who took the next watch. The Portuguese returned the smile and disappeared into their father's bedroom.  
"Come on, small one. Let's ge you to bed. I can stay with you tonight if you want me to", Xabi felt the Croatian nod against his chest and pulled the younger one with him towards his bedroom.  
Raúl had sat up one his bed when Cristiano entered and quickly wiped off a few tears. The Portuguese pulled a chair to the bed and sat down: "Don't even think about pulling that needle out of your hand, Raúl." The Spaniard dropped his hand back on the bed and groaned. "The current situation isn't pleasant for any of us but we need you, Raúl. I know it's hard but we're trying our best to help you, you just have to let us. We miss him, too and we're worried sick about Iker and Sergio, especially since we have no idea what's going on and we understand your suffering. But we can't lose you, too. Not right now. Xabi is trying really hard but we all know he's no leader, he's got no idea what to do and won't be able to do this for too long."  
Raúl sighed and ran a hand over his face tiredly. Cristiano grabbed his hand and squeezed it slightly: "I know you're blaming yourself for whatever happened. You always do. But you have to give yourself a break, Raúl. Constantly thinking "what if" and blaming yourself will destroy you mentally. That's what you told me, remember? When I got stuck in my head blaming myself for what I did to my family and to Irina by allowing you to turn me. You told me, it's okay to be sad and even regret but you can't allow your sadness and regret and wish to have someone to blame to take over your life. I know none of us is him. And none of us can comfort you like he could. But we're trying. And we will get through this. Together. As a family."  
The Portuguese expected no reaction from the Spaniard so he was surprised when he felt his father squeezing his hand slightly. Tears shimmered in his eyes but he was smiling a little. Cristiano returned the smile wtih a small nod.  
  
Iker rubbed his forehead willing his headache to go away. Sergio was out hunting for the three of them and Guti slept in his arms. The brunette was tired. He was used to being responsible for his brothers but most of the time they could take care of themselves and if they couldn't Raúl would be there to help them. But this time Raúl wasn't there and Iker had no idea how to take care about Guti. The current situation was unlike any he'd been in before.  
The brunette had no idea how to help Guti. He felt helpless but he had to be strong and pretend he knew what he was doing so he wouldn't worry Sergio. His boyfriend trusted him to handle their situation with ease and he would be terribly scared if he found out Iker had no idea what to do.  
Lonely. He felt lonely. He had no one to talk to about the weight he was carrying at the moment and it slowly started to feel like it was crushing him.  
He had lost track of how long exactly they were away from home by now. The brunette guessed it might be a few months already and both, he and Sergio, felt homesick. They missed their family and the familiar streets of Madrid. During these past months Iker hadn't left the house once because he was constantly staying with Guti. He'd love to go out, go hunting or just feel the sun on his skin and the wind in his hair but he couldn't leave Sergio with Guti. The blonde's attitude had changed a lot and Iker could no longer guarantee his boyfriend that their father wouldn't attack him if he stayed with him all alone.  
Guti had only briefly experienced the "I refuse to believe it's true"-stage when they were still in Madrid and Raúl had told him whatever had cause their fight. The stage of grief had been longer and went on for a few months. Now followed the stage Iker had most dreaded. Anger.  
The way the blonde was sleeping in his arms made him look almost peaceful but the second he was awake he would either scream at Iker, attack him or possibly destroy something. The brunette was almost willing to let him go out and hunt by himself already because he was tired of always being the one to suffer from his father's anger. Blood calmed him, at least for a while which was why Iker always send Sergio hunting when Guti was asleep. Most of the time his boyfriend managed to return before the blonde woke up so they could let him feed right after he woke up which delayed his anger's eruption a little.  
Most of the time Iker could deal with all of this. As long as Sergio was safe from Guti's attacks. But there was something that made the current situation almost unbearable for Iker. Since his father was terribly angry at Raúl and probably wouldn't mind seeing his head on a silver platter he hated everything connected to love. The brunette was allowed to show affection towards Guti and to hold Sergio but he wasn't allowed to kiss his boyfriend or go any further than cuddling in general. And most of the time he wasn't able to cuddle with Sergio, too because either Guti would attack him at daytime or need him to calm him down or hold him or the blonde would sleep in the middle of them at nighttime so Iker wasn't able to do much more than carefully holding his boyfriend's hand.  
Of course he understood Guti. He was hurt and didn't know how to deal with his feelings and the situation but that didn't mean it was easy for the brunette. And it got even harder when he looked at Sergio and saw in his eyes how much he'd need to be held and reassured and Iker didn't have the opportunity to give him what he needed.  
  
Things got easier when Guti started to go hunting by himself two months later. Iker finally had the chance to properly touch Sergio again. They spend most of their time together cuddled up on the couch talking about how much they missed Madrid and their family and how long Guti planned to stay in New Zealand. It felt good to finally be able to hold his boyfriend again and give him the comfort he needed for a long time already.  
Iker ran his hand through Sergio's soft hair and watched him watching stupid videos on his laptop. Sergio was laying on his boyfriend, his head comfortably resting against his chest. "Look at that adorable little cat! It's so cute. We need a cat." Iker laughed at his boyfriend's suggestion: "You can barely take care of yourself. You will never be able to take care about a little cat, too." The younger one turned his head around pouting at him. "Don't, we're not getting a cat, no matter how long you pout", the brunette shook his head, "and you know Raúl would never allow it."  
He realized what he'd just said only after the words had left his mouth. Sergio's expression turned into that of a kicked puppy and he slumped back down against his boyfriend's chest. "I'm sorry, Nene I didn't-" "It's okay", the younger one interrupted, "I just miss them so much."  
Iker nodded. He knew how Sergio felt. They were both suffering from the separation but there was nothing they could do at the moment. The brunette's eyes fell on the little "Skype"-icon. Or maybe there was something they could do. He sat up a little straighter: "It's risky but... we could try to skype with them."  
Sergio looked at him disbelievingly: "Are you serious? My always righteous, never rule breaking, always playing it safe Iker wants to do something risky?" The older one rolled his eyes: "All I'm saying is, both of us miss them but we can't go home. So we might as well just try this. As long as Guti doesn't catch us we'll be fine."  
His boyfriend beamed up at him happily and clicked the icon.  
  
Xabi had just finished a Skype call with a manager of one of their restaurants. With the situation at home he didn't have the opportunity to check on the restaurants for the past months. He was about to log out when another call came in. The Basque closed his eyes tiredly. He had hoped he was done with work for the day, it was almost midnight after all. But then he saw the caller's name and almost fell of his chair: "Raùl!"  
In a matter of seconds Raúl and his brothers stood in the office. "What? What is it?", Cristiano asked alarmed ready to fight anyone who'd threaten his family. Xabi's hand shook when he pointed at the screen: "Sergio."  
Raúl's eyes widened when he heard his youngest son's name: "Well go and answer!" Xabi quickly clicked to accept the call and Sergio's and Iker's faces appeared on the screen. "Iker, Sergio", Raúl was almost unable to speak when he saw their faces. After Guti's outburst and his departure from Madrid along with Sergio and Iker the black haired had almost given up the hope to ever see his sons again.  
"Raúl", Sergio smiled brightly when he caught sight of his father. It took them a few minutes before either one of them could speak. In the end Cristiano broke the silence: "Where the hell are you? How are you? When are you coming home? Where's Guti?" Fabio put a hand on his shoulder: "Cristiano, love, breathe. They can't answer every question at once."  
Iker wiped a tear from his eye trying not to cry of happiness because he got to see his family again: "We don't know when we're coming home. With the way things are at the moment, I'm really not sure. I don't think we can tell you where we are. Guti is a little... difficult at the moment and I really don't want any of you to come and put yourself into danger."  
"Is he hurting you?", Raúl's voice was nothing but a whisper, he was scared of the answer to his question. "We're fine", Iker answered after a seconds of hesitation, "it's nothing." "Don't lie to me, Iker", the black haired licked his lips nervously.  
The brunette closed his eyes briefly and pulled Sergio a little more tightly against his chest: "He's easily angered at the moment. But we've got it under control." "Iker", his father's soft tone broke Iker's resistance. Tears started running down his cheeks and he barely acknowledged Sergio turning around and tightly hugging him. "Guti often takes his anger out on Iker", the youngest vampire explained, "it's getting better. It was really bad a few months ago. Guti wasn't in the condition to go hunting so Iker always send me to hunt for the three of us so Guti wouldn't hurt me. The blood calmed him but he often attacked Iker or yelled at him. I wanted to do something but Iker would never let me, I swear if I could have somehow protected him-" "I know, love. I don't blame you. Guti is much stronger than you, you wouldn't have stood a chance", Raúl reassured him quickly.  
Sergio nodded a little relieved and continued: "Because Guti's so angry at you he doesn't really want Iker and me to show affection towards each other. That was really hard because we were so close but still missing each other so much. It's better now. Guti goes hunting by himself now so we can use the time he isn't here."  
Raúl had closed his eyes and James slipped under his arm hugging him tightly to comfort him a little. The black haired took a few deep breaths before he was able to speak again: "I am so sorry. I never wanted for this to happen. I always promised you I would protect you and now I'm the reason José is causing you pain." "Raúl, it's okay", Iker smiled reassuringly, "it's not your fault. You don't control his actions and no matter what happened between the two of you, you are not responsible for his actions. I'm not holding it against you or him. Both of you have your reasons."  
His father wiped his tears trying to regain his composure: "I'm so sorry. I appreciate it that you're not blaming me or him but I'll never forgive myself for allowing this to happen. Iker, please, you have to tell me where you are. I can come and take you home. I can protect you from him."  
"We can't leave him alone right now, Raúl", the brunette shook his head, "and we can't put you at risk. I'd never forgive myself if I told you where we are and he'd hurt you. And I'm scared Guti might find out and hurt Sergio. So far he's always been careful with him and I don't want that to change."  
"But-" "We'll stay in contact with you so you'll know we're fine. Listen, we really have to go now. Guti will be home soon and it's better when he doesn't find out we talked to you." Raúl nodded: "Alright. I love you, okay? Both of you. Please look after yourselves and call again as soon as you can." "We will. We love you, too Raúl. And of course we also love the rest of you, we miss you guys", Iker smiled sadly.  
James pressed his face into his father's chest trying to hide his tears and even Xabi almost choked on a sob: "We love and miss you, too. Be safe out there, okay? I'll kill you if something happens to you." Sergio laugh was the last thing they heard before he connection was lost.  
  
They talked whenever they could. Sometimes weeks would pass by without a word from Sergio and Iker and Raúl would be half out of his mind frantically trying to find a way to find them and bring them home. He could only breathe a little more freely when Xabi would shout that the two lost sons called. Iker always tried to calm his father down, telling them that they were alright. Sergio was a little more honest than his boyfriend and didn't hide that Guti manipulated especially Iker into staying with him whenever he tried to tell him that he and Sergio wanted to return to Madrid.  
  
"Guti,we really need to go back. We're both homesick, we miss out brothers, we miss-" "Iker, please, I know it's hard but I need you. I'll go insane if you leave", the blonde practically begged not realizing he had lost his mind long ago, "please, I don't know what I'll do if you leave me, too." The younger vampire sighed trying to remain strong: "Guti, please you have to let us go."  
The blonde took his son's face in his hands forcing him to look up into his eyes. Iker saw the desperation in those beautiful electric-blue eyes but he knew how much Sergio was suffering from being separated from their family so he continued to try and stay strong. "Guti, please. Please, you have to let us go", Sergio could hear tears in his boyfriend's voice and wanted nothing more to hold him but knew he couldn't, "please, this is no life. I beg you, let us go."  
Guti shook his head, searching Iker's face for something, anything that showed he actually wanted to stay with him: "I can't, I need you. I know it's not fair on you but I need you. I know it's selfish and I don't want to do this, Iker you have to believe me. But without you I'm nothing. I can't lose you, too, there'll be nothing left worth living for."  
Every time Iker would break at this point unable to imagine a world without the blonde in it. It tore him apart. He was stuck between wanting to return home and not being able to give up on Guti and throw him to the wolves. Sergio knew, unlike Iker who was in an emotionally too compromising situation to realize, that Guti was using his and his son's strong connection to each other to manipulate the brunette into staying. Sergio had seen people manipulate others like that. Not only using their relationship to the other person but also pretending they felt bad for making them stay or do things they actually didn't want to do. The younger vampire knew Guti was desperate and the situation wasn't easy for him but he couldn't help but feel anger rising up in him for the things the blonde willingly did to Iker just to make the current situation easier for himself.  
  
Sergio told Raúl and his brothers in Madrid all of this when Iker wasn't in the room for whatever reason because he knew the brunette would try to defend the blonde. He forgot about his boyfriend's sensitive ears and didn't know Iker heard every word the younger one said.  
The brunette was quite aware of what Guti was doing to him. But the separation from his family weakened him and he no longer had the energy to fight the blonde. So he gave in and hoped that one day Guti's mind would clear and he'd agree to go back home and talk everything out with Raúl.  
He didn't. Guti was so caught up in his madness that he could not think clearly at all. Everything and everyone was a threat to him. Iker was the only person he would allow close enough to influence him positively at least to some extend. He tolerated Sergio's presence in order not to lose Iker but he did not allow the youngest to get too close to him. The blonde was convinced Sergio was too highly influenced by Raúl and couldn't be trusted.  
Guti saw his demons everywhere. He murdered a lot more, drank more blood, wiped out entire families. Iker let him since there was not much he could do. But he hated the constant feeling of helplessness. He had often dealt with Guti in difficult situation but this was a whole new dimension and he had no idea how to mend what had been broken.  
The brunette didn't want to burden Raúl with his situation so he decided not to ask his father for advice and try to solve the problem himself. The video chats with his family gave him strength and energy and kept his hope to eventually return home alive.  
But they had to be careful. If Guti found out they'd been seeing their family Iker was convinced he'd lose his mind and kill them.  
Everything went well for months, years even. Two years they were far from home by now and whenever they could they'd seek solace in hearing the voices and seeing the faces of their brothers and their father. Despite not being able to touch them just being able to see them consoled them.  
Iker noticed how broken Raúl was though the black haired tried desperately to hide it from them. He could see the suffering and the desperation in his eyes. His face had turned pale and looked thinner, his eyes had lost all the life they usually carried and from Xabi he learned Raúl needed to be forced to eat even after two years. The video chats were the only thing actually keeping him alive though his sons attempted whatever they could to make it easier for him. They forced him not to give up.  
And then everything collapsed.  
  
One late afternoon Guti returned earlier from his hunt. The blood he'd drank didn't please him. The smell reminded him of Raúl and had torn down walls he'd so carefully build up the past two years. He was surprised to hear Iker's and Sergio's voice from the living room when he entered the house. Normally they would sit in silence when he returned. And then he heard the sound of a voice that caused his blood to freeze in his veins. A voice he'd never thought he'd hear again.  
His blood began to boil as he stormed into the room.  
Iker knew he should have heard or smelled him, should have seen it coming but he was too caught up in the sound of Raúl's soothing voice assuring him he would find a way to bring Sergio and him home.  
"How dare you?", Guti's voice echoed through the tiny space causing Iker to flinch and turn around wide eyed. Sergio immediately grabbed his arm. "How dare you breaking my rules? I ordered you not to seek contact to them, ever again!"  
"Guti, I -" "Don't. There is nothing you could say that will make me allow this. You will pay for this, Iker. My orders were clear and you couldn't follow them." Iker didn't know what to do, say or think. The brunette had never seen his father like this. He'd seen him get angry but never in his long life had Guti ever threatened him. He turned back to the screen looking at his brothers and his father. A mistake.  
The blonde followed his eyes and within a millisecond stood next to the laptop and grabbed it to throw it against the nearest wall.  
"José, don't. Please", Raúl was scared. Scared to death honestly. He had no idea what the blonde would do now that he found out Iker and Sergio had seeked contact to their family. The black haired didn't recognize the love of his life anymore and he had no idea what he was capable of. "José, don't hurt them, please. José!", Raúl almost smashed the laptop when the screen went black and the connection to his sons was lost. "José!"  
The rest of his sons stood behind him unable to do anything but stare in shock. Raúl rose to his feet, his whole attitude had changed. He was no longer a defeated, broken man, he was raging with anger towards himself and worry for his sons. He turned to Xabi, his eyes pitch-black: "Find them."  
"Raúl, I tried, I don't know how to -" "I don't care", the black haired hissed, "just find them. If he hurts them in any way I'll never forgive myself."  
  
Iker shoved Sergio behind his back as the connection to their family broke down and Guti stared at them with wild eyes and a heaving chest. But the brunette had nothing to fear. Before he could say or do anything the blonde broke down. His knees buckled and he collapsed on the floor his fingernails leaving scratches on the floor as he searched for something to hold on to. Iker realized it had taken his father all the energy he had so carefully collected for the past two years to appear strong in front of the man he once called the love of his life.  
The brunette carefully let go of his boyfriend's arm, dropped to his knees next to the blonde and closed his arms around him tightly as if he could put the pieces back together if he hugged him tightly enough. Sergio crouched down next to them and joined Iker's arms around Guti. No matter how scared they had been only seconds ago both of them knew why the blonde had reacted the way he did and that he needed them now more than ever. Seeing Raúl's face, hearing his voice... it was pure torture to him. The cruelest form of missing one could experience, being close but not able to touch, to feel, to love.  
Guti's body shook with his sobs and Iker instantly tightened his arms around him. Sergio heard his boyfriend whisper "I'm sorry." Over and over again. Like a chant that could take the blonde's pain away.  
  
"Did you find them?" "No, not -" "How long can it possibly take to find a few vampires?", Raúl paced around in his office, hands balled to fists, his fingernails digging into his palms. He had to find them. He had to. "Raúl, we've already searched everywhere! I don't know what else to do, it's like they disappeared from the surface of the earth", Xabi desperately tried to explain but continued to try and trace the IP-address nonetheless.  
"That's not possible, so they have to be somewhere", the black haired hissed. One side of him felt bad for being this impatient with Xabi but the his other, less rational side was fixated on finding his sons and protecting them with his own life if he had to.  
"Are you sure there are no places that hold any meaning to you and Guti? Other than Madrid?", the Basque was out of ideas but like Raúl he was scared to death for his brothers' lives and he'd be damned if he wouldn't be able to safe them. "No, no I told you already. There's nothing I can think of. Madrid is the only -" The black haired's eyes widened.  
"What? What?", Xabi looked at him in confusion. "There is one place. I can't believe I never thought of this but it's the only possible place we haven't searched yet. When it was only José and me, we once spend a few weeks in New Zealand on holiday. There's this little house right at the beach. José didn't enjoy the holiday so we never returned but I kept the house just in case. I've friends in New Zealand who are looking after it for me." "Well, call them!", the Basque almost yelled, "Maybe they've seen Guti or they talked to him!"  
  
"He called them", Raúl entered the office and grabbed his jacket from the couch, "told them, we didn't need their services any longer. They have to be there." "What are you doing?" The black haired looked at Xabi disbelievingly: "What do you think? I'm going to New Zealand."  
He raced down the stairs but was stopped by Cristiano blocking the doorway. "What are you doing? I've got to go", he hissed in annoyance. "We're coming with you", Fabio explained as he stepped next to his boyfriend. Their father groaned: "You've got to be kidding me. Do I really look like I have time to discuss this now?" "Well, then what are you waiting for? Let's go", Luka replied.  
"God, fine. Fine, then you're coming with me but you stay away from Guti. He's my problem."  
  
Guti lay in bed between Iker and Sergio who had both thrown an arm around his chest. They had spend an hour sitting on the floor holding each other but eventually they had convinced the blonde to go to bed promising they'd stay as close to him as possible.  
He felt horrible. For everything he had done to Iker, for everything he had put Sergio through, for his tantrums, for running away. If he could turn back time... The hole in his heart had steadily grown bigger ever since he'd left Madrid and now after seeing Raúl's face he felt like it'd been ripped out of his chest. The blonde had tried so hard to forget him. Him and everything they had. But he couldn't. His heart wouldn't allow him to forget Raúl and the promise he'd once given him. That they'd be united in life and in death. Forever.  
A single tear rolled down his face and he tightened his arms around Iker and Sergio: "I miss him. I need him."  
He didn't know Iker was still awake, listening to his beating heart and racking his brain thinking about how he could possibly fix this.  
The next morning Iker woke up before his boyfriend and noticed he and Sergio were alone in the bedroom. He found Guti sitting on the couch in the living room. The brunette sat down next to him silently and looked out of the glass doors that led to the veranda and the beach. The sun was rising above the ocean colouring the sky pink.  
"I'm sorry", even with his sensitive ears Iker almost failed to catch the dry whisper leaving his father's lips. Carefully he grabbed the blonde's hand: "Don't be. We can still fix this." Guti laughed dryly looking down at their joined hands: "I didn't mean that. The things I've put you through, you and Sergio... I'm so sorry. I don't know -" "I know", the brunette squeezed his hand, "and I don't want you to be sorry. Not now. There are much more important things we need to fix right now. Later we can still talk about everything that happened here."  
"But I don't know how. I don't know what to do. I can't turn back time." "Go back to Madrid. Talk to him", Iker slowly turned his head catching his father's eyes who tried to continue watching the sunrise but eventually turned to face his son. "I don't know what to say", Iker was surprised by the blonde's honesty. He had never spoken about his feelings, thoughts or worries that openly. The brunette's lips curled into a small smile: "I'll help you."  
Guti slowly returned the smile and pulled his son into a tight embrace.  
Sergio entered the room rubbing his eyes tiredly: "What's going on?" Iker smiled: "We're going home, Nene."  
  
Raúl drummed his fingers on his seat's armrest. He had no idea how Xabi had managed to get tickets for all of them for the same flight and honestly he didn't care. His thoughts revolved around getting to his sons as fast as possible even if it most likely was too late by now. In that case he'd at least be able to make José pay, even though it would break his heart.  
"I never noticed how slow planes are", he groaned digging his fingernails into the armrest and almost crushing it. Fabio patted his arm: "We're almost there, Raúl. Try to be patient just a little longer. We've almost made it."  
After 22 hours of flying they landed in Sydney. Two more hours until they'd arrive in Wellington and then it wouldn't be long until they'd reach the small hidden space at the beach where the house stood.  
Raúl rubbed his eyes. 22 hours was a long time with no space to move around and no opportunity to feed. They'd need to wait for a while now until they'd be able to board the next plane and the black haired was thankful for the possibility to stretch his legs and walk around for a while. His sons trotted after him to a small café where they could sit and wait until they were allowed to board. But they never made it that far.  
Raúl picked up a scent he'd expected to smell arriving at their house in New Zealand but not here at the airport. He stopped dead in his tracks and his sons almost ran into him. "What's going on? Why aren't we moving?", Cristiano looked at his father expectantly. "He's here." The Portuguese visibly paled.  
Raúl quickened his pace following the smell through the crowd. His sons followed as fast as possible. And then, in the middle of the airport, he saw him. He hadn't changed much the past two years but he looked thinner and a lot more tired. The black haired's heart stopped for a second when he saw Iker and Sergio appearing next to the blonde. His heart stopped again when his amber-brown eyes met the electric-blue ones of the man he'd called the love of his life once.  
Neither of them moved. The crowd had cleared with most people boarding their planes or leaving for their hotels since it's gotten late. Iker had grabbed Sergio's hand smiling brightly at his brothers who appeared next to Raúl but for neither the black haired nor the blonde did any of this exist at that particular moment. They were caught in their own little bubble. And then a tear ran down Raúls face, and then another one and another and their bubble burst and all of sudden Guti was there. His smell intoxicating his senses, his hands on his face, his arms, his back, everywhere. The black haired didn't realize they had sunken to the ground, the only thing he recognized were those familiar arms around him, the steady beating of the heart he knew belonged to him and the warm skin of his lover that finally brought him back to life.  
More arms sneaked around them as their sons joined them on the ground, hugging them, hugging Iker and Sergio, hugging each other. Raúl's tears dripped on Guti's shirt as the blonde kissed his cheeks and forehead and ran his hands through his dark hair. In more than 1600 years Raúl had never cried in front of the blonde but their too long separation and their much needed final reunion had brought him to his limits.  
And now with the love of his life in his arms and his sons around them, he was finally home again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! Comments are highly appreciated!


End file.
